The fantasy football running back world took a big hit in Week 2 on Monday Night Football when Cleveland Browns’ Nick Chubb suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Browns were able to shake off the loss with backup RB Jerome Ford, who showed signs of promise and could be the lead back moving forward. While Ford is a strong value option on the main slate on DraftKings for Week 3, we’re going to look at some other backs priced $5K or under that can provide salary relief.
NFL DFS Picks, Week 3: RB value plays
Jerome Ford, CLE vs. TEN, $4,800
This is going to be the most obvious chalk play of the season perhaps. While the Browns signed RB Kareem Hunt this week, Ford is still expected to get the bulk of the snaps. If that’s the case, we know what he did in half a game or so on MNF vs. Pittsburgh in Week 2. Ford finished with 16 carries for 106 yards and three catches fro 25 yards and a TD. If Pierre Strong Jr. hadn’t vultured a TD, Ford would have been the top RB play all week with over 30 fantasy points.
Ford is going to be chalky and makes more sense in cash games or if you’re looking to just cash in a contest. But given the price and ceiling, Ford could get you there in a big GPP if you differentiate elsewhere. Strong is $4,500 and with Hunt in the mix it’s unlikely the former Pats RB gets much work. But you never know.
Roschon Johnson, CHI vs. KC, $4,700
It may not be much longer before Johnson overtakes Khalil Herbert as the top back in Chicago. In Week 2, the RB split was Herbert 31 snaps and Johnson 22. Herbert had eight touches while Johnson had six. So unless Herbert starts to show flashes of the back he was last year, this could evolve more into a time-share. Plus, the play from QB Justin Fields and poor coaching on offense could force the Bears in another direction.
For Johnson this week though, the script looks good. Herbert has four catches on eight targets for 60 yards while Johnson has eight catches on nine targets for 45 yards. Herbert has actually been a bit better in the passing game while Johnson has been better on the ground. That isn’t to say Johnson has no value as a pass-catcher. Johnson has more size to help in pass protection, which could lead to more snaps. He’s been better and the separation in usage isn’t that wide. Johnson isn’t a bad punt play if the Bears trail all game and have to play catchup.
Deuce Vaughn, DAL vs. ARI, $4,400
I’m going to do it. I think we might see the Deuce run loose a bit in Week 3. Last week, we saw the Dallas Cowboys stomp the New York Jets. Vaughn only saw 13 snaps but ran routes on 10 of those plays, finishing with three carries and three catches. So in 13 snaps, Vaughn had six touches, which is a pretty high percentage. My one issue with this play is ceiling and that two other Cowboys’ backs got more snaps, plus Tony Pollard leading the backfield.
Still, the Cowboys should smash the Arizona Cardinals and we could see Pollard sitting by halftime. Vaughn could get more touches in garbage time and he definitely has the talent to break a few plays. If that touch count increases to around 8-12, Vaughn could be a sneaky value option in Week 3.
